Israeli Attack Will Prompt Pakistani Response

YNet News ^ | 5 Feb 2012 | Dudi Cohen and AP

[edpc]

Is the world counting down to "D-Day"? After US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta estimated that Israel would attack Iran by June, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned government officials against "Iran chatter," A European diplomat based in Pakistan said that if Israel attacks, Islamabad will have no choice but to support any Iranian retaliation.

The diplomat's statement raised the specter of putting a nuclear-armed Pakistan at odds with Israel, which is widely believed to have its own significant nuclear arsenal.

[edpc]

OK, but support in what capacity?

[montag813]

Thanks G.W. Bush, for not confiscating Pakistan’s nukes after 9/11, and naively considering an enemy (Musharraf) as our ally. NO Muslim nation can be trusted with nuclear weapons.

[paintriot]

Maybe India will go after Pakistan if the Pakis try anything crazy.

[musicman]

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[kjo]

Israel v Iran; Pakistan v India; Russian has its Muslim belt along its southern belly; afeared this is gonna get ugly folks.

But don’t worry, we got Obama to run things. On second thought...go ahead and worry.

[SJackson]

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Hard to imagine a long range conventional response, Pak must be threatening nukes. Not that long ago it was thought of as the Islamic bomb.

[Cicero]

Leon Panetta and Hillabeast, both Communist Muslim lovers, are trying to make trouble for Israel by blabbing this stuff.

[Molon Labbie]

If we go to war with Pockeystan, where will the Taliban be able to hide?

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Talk is cheap. Iran scares the bejeebers outta the Arabs, and the Arabs are much bigger patrons of Pakistan than Iran ever was. Iran is isolating itself from the rest of the world. China and Russia only egg Iran on in order to make trouble for the U.S., they have no love nor respect for Iran.

Pakistan is not going to put itself in the crosshairs of a nuclear Israel (with a nuclear U.S. behind it, when the Shiite hits the impeller). The Pakis may resent it, but they will swallow hard and take it, like when the U.S. visited their West Point and took out one of their guests.

[Randy Larsen]

Any country that is willing to fight a religious war has got to be willing to lose that war to moral superiority and plain old beliefs in freedom.

[Nachoman]

This is about the 5th or 6th year I've been hearing these dire predictions. I guess, like a hypochondriac, they're going to be right one of these days.

[MichaelP]

WW1 Redux...

[Elpasser]

have “no choice”?

REALLY?

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks edpc.

After US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta estimated that Israel would attack Iran by June, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned government officials against "Iran chatter," A European diplomat based in Pakistan said that if Israel attacks, Islamabad will have no choice but to support any Iranian retaliation.

"A European diplomat based in Pakistan" -- i.e., not anyone from the so-called gov't of the so-called nation of Pakistan. And BTW, there sure are some idiots around here.

[uncbob]

I think Pakistan is happy to be the only muslim nation with nukes

Anybody really think they want Iran to join the club

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

There may be more to this than meets the eye. Iran meets Pakistan in the restive place called Baluchistan. For a long time, the Baluchs have cut up rough in Iran and escaped across the border to Pakistan; and cut up rough in Pakistan and escaped across the border to Iran.

Both Iran and Pakistan would like this to stop. Right now Iran has to commit a lot of forces to Baluchistan, but if they got on good terms with Pakistan, enough to let the Pakistan army sweep all of Baluchistan, the Iranians could commit those forces elsewhere. And this would solve the Baluch problem for a while, with the Pak army butchering a lot of them.

This would be a way for Pakistan to show its support for Iran without committing any of its forces to battle, and keeping them close enough to home in case India decided to rattle their cage, which it could do easily.

The Pak government also has to be a little careful, because the army is more than ready to displace them in a coup again, and restore Perv as leader.

Other players who may want some involvement include a semi-alliance between Israel and India; with China on the side of Pakistan, up to a very shallow level.

[familyop]

"A European diplomat based in Pakistan said that if Israel attacks, Islamabad will have no choice but to support any Iranian retaliation."

That Italian or Brit should realize that it's common knowledge, that India would blow Pakistan to smithereens in such an unlikely scenario. The Pakistanis wouldn't try it.

[Astronaut]

You’re right - talk is cheap. I dont really think the Pakis are going to want a nuclear confrontation with Israel over Iran. The Israelis would suffer terrible losses, but the Pakis would be radioactive dust when its all over, and they’re not going to risk that for Iran.

No Muslim nation should have nukes, but Pakistan isn’t an existential threat to Israel, so the IDF isn’t going to take out Pakistan’s nukes. Iran, however, is a real threat to Israel, and they will do what is necessary to protect themselves. Our Muslim president will throw a fit when they do.